Can opener



March 17, 1953 J. SAULSBERRY CAN OPENER Filed 001;. 1, 1953 Jay L 6am lsberry INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 17,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 7 Claims.

This invention relates to a can opener and more particularly to a can opener of the type which is adapted to be fi xe d in" position and the can to -be opened to berotated relative to the can opener.

The primary object of the invention is to facilitate the rapid and safe cutting of the top from a can and to avoidinjury tothe user.

A further object isto avoid the formation of jagged edges on a can during the opening thereof which would be likely to out or injure the user. I

Another object is to avoid injury to the user and others through contact with sharp corners or edges of the device after it has been mounted in place and to turn the top of the can upward as the can is being opened. i

A still further object is to employ the rotation of the can rela-tive to the can opener as the energy for effecting the cutting of the top from blade fixed to the support and depending from the undersidethereo-f adjacent the stop pin, and a can guiding pin carried by the support and depending from the underside thereof in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin.

Other features include means connected to the can guiding pin for adjusting the position thereof relative to the stop pin according to the size of can that is inserted in the can opener.

Other features include spring means for yieldingly holding the guide pin in a position to be engaged by a can being introduced into th can opener, and means actuated by the can for arresting movement of the guide pin when a can has been introduced into the can opener in a position to beproperly engaged by the, cutting blade thereof for the proper cutting" of' the top out of the can. v

In the drawings,

Fig. l is a top plan view of a can opener embodying the features of this invention, illustrating in broken lines a' can'in position therein ready to be cut,

Fig. 2 is a front view in elevation of the can opener illustrated in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the can opener illustrated in Fig. 1 showing in broken lines the relative position of the parts when cans of different diameters are introduced into the can opener,

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 of Fig. l,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the can top shearing blade, and

Fig. 6is an enlarged perspective view of the can top shearing blade.

Referring to the drawings in detail the can opener above referred to comprises a bracket designated generally I 0 which includes a supporting plate l2 which is adapted to be secured to a vertically extending support and carries at its upper edge a horizontally extending support Hi. In the preferred form of the invention the plate i2 and support H2 are formed integral and the support E i is of substantially semi-circular form and extends horizontally from the vertical support to which the plate I2 is attached.

Fixed to and depending fromthe underside of the support It is a stop pin l6, and carried by the support adjacent the junction of the stop pin l6 therewith is a cutting blade l8 having a laterally extending curved shoe'ZG adjacent its lower end. Formed in the leadingedge of the blade [8 adjacent the shoe/AD is a .V -shaped notch 2| having sharpened edges forshearing the can top and carried by the lower edge of the shoe 20 adjacent the blade. Hill's aldepending' point 22 which is adapted to pierce thecantop of a canto beout. As illustrated inthedrawingdthe blade l8 extends downwardly in substantial parallel relation to thepin' 96 for ashort distance and. as the shearing of the can top takesplace the sheared edge thereof willbe turned upwardly by its movement against theshoe 29. c

Pivotally mounted asat 24 ,on the horizontal support I4 remote fro-mth pin 16 is an arm 26 and carried byand depending from thearrn 26 in spaced parallel relation tothe stop pin lfi is a can guiding pin 28 against which the beadof the can to be out is engaged during the cutting operation. The arm 25 is mounted so that the can guiding pin 28 moves in an arcuate path toward and away from the'stop pin I5, andfcarriedby the arm 2'6 remote from thepivotlis a: quadrant 30 which lies in the arcuate path on'the side thereof adjacent the pinil'6,.; The edge of the quadrant 3% remote from the pin lEis provided'withlspaced teeth 32'the purpose of which'willbe'rnore fully hereinafter described. Connected to the arm 25 is one end of a retractile coil spring 34, the opposite end of which is secured to the support I4 adjacent the quadrant 30 so that the arm 26 and pin 28 will be yieldingly urged to move in its arcuate path toward the stop pin Hi. It will thus be seen that a can pressed against the stop pin i6 and pivoted thereabout toward the pin 28 will tend to swing the arm 26 against the effort of the spring 34 away from the stop pin it.

In order to arrest movement of the can guiding pin 28 and arm 26 away from the stop pin I6 upon the introduction of a can therebetween I pivotally mount as at 36 to the underside of the support 4 a lever 38. One end of this lever is provided with a dog 40 which is adapted to engage the teeth 32 of the quadrant 3D, and carried by and extending downwardly from the lever in spaced parallel relation to the pins I6 and 28 is a guiding pin arresting finger 42.

In use a can is introduced between the stop pin l6 and the can guiding pin 28 below the cutter blade l8 and point 22 and as the can is thrust into position between the stop and guiding pins the rim of the can will urge the pin 28 away from the stop pin l6 until such time as it encounters the arresting pin 42 at which time further movement of the can guiding pin 28 away from the stop pin IE will be arrested by the engagement of the dog 40 with a tooth 32 and thus properly position the rim of the can against the stop pin 16 so that upon pressing the can upwardly and causing the point 22 of the blade to puncture the top thereof, the can may be rotated counterclockwise about its longitudinal axis, against the pin 28 and in the sharpened V-shaped notch of the cutter blade I8 so as to sever the top from the can during the rotation thereof. As the can is rotated, the edge of the top which has been severed from the can will ride upwardly over the shoe 26 to be lifted upwardly away from the can. As soon as the top has been out to the desired extent, the can may be moved downwardly and out of engagement with the pins i5, 28 and 42, at which time the spring 3 t will again yieldingly advance the pin 28 toward the pin 16, thus resetting the device for a repeat operation.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention it is to be understood that minor changes in the details of construction combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a can opener a horizontal support, a stop pin fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof, a can top piercing and cutting blade fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof adjacent the stop pin and a can guiding pin carried by the support and depending from the underside thereof in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin.

2. In a can opener a horizontal support, a stop pin fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof, a can top piercing and cutting blade fixed to the sup-port and depending from the underside thereof adjacent the stop pin and a can guiding pin mounted on the support for movement in a horizontal path toward and away from the stop pin and depending from the underside of the support in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin.

3. In a can opener a horizontal support, a stop pin fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof, a can top piercing and cutting blade fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof adjacent the stop'pin, a can guiding pin mounted on the support for movement in a horizontal path toward and away from the stop pin and depending from the underside of the support in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin, and means carried by and depending from the underside of the support and interconnected with the can guiding pin for engaging a can inserted between the stop pin and the can guiding pin and arresting movement of the can guiding pin away from the stop pin when the rim of the can is in proper position with the blade for cutting the top out of the can.

4. In a can opener a horizontal support, a stop pin fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof, a can top piercing and cutting blade fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof adjacent the stop pin, a can guiding pin mounted on the support for movement in a horizontal path toward and away from the stop pin and depending from the un derside of the support in spaced parallel relation to the stop .pin, a quadrant connected to and movable with the can guiding pin, a lever mounted on the underside of the support and engaging the quadrant, and an arresting p in carried by the lever and extending below the support in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin and can guiding pin for engaging a can and arresting movement of the can guiding pin away from the stop pin.

5. In a can opener a horizontal support, a stop pin fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof, a can top piercin and cutting blade fixed to the support and depending from the underside thereof adjacent the stop pin, a can guiding pin mounted on the support for movement in a horizontal path toward and away from the stop pin and depending from the underside of the support in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin, a quadrant connected to and movable with the can guiding pin, a lever mounted on the underside of the support and engaging the quadrant, an arresting pin carried by the lever and extending below the support in spaced parallel relation to the stop pin and can guiding pin for engaging a can and arresting movement of the can guiding pin away from the stop pin, and yielding means connected to the support and to the can guiding pin for advancing said pin toward the stop pin.

6. In a can opener a depending guide pin, 2. depending can top shearing blade adjacent said guide pin, said blade having a V-shaped notch in its leading edge, the walls of said notch being sharpened so that when the top of a can is pressed against the blade and into the notch it will be sheared from the can, and a laterally extending curved shoe carried by the blade adjacent the V-shaped notch for bending the sheared edge of the can top upward-1y as the shearing progresses.

7. The structure defined in claim 6 in which a can top perforating point is carried by the shoe and projects downwardly therefrom adjacent the V-shaped notch and in substantial alignment therewith.

JAY L. SAULSBERRY.

No references cited. 

